SOYBEAN 



SOYBEAN 



583 



crop in small fields in localities where this pest is 

 common. 



Geographical distribution. 



The soybean is thought to be native of south- 

 eastern Asia. It is thought to be derived from 

 the wild Glycine Soja of Japan, being itself not 

 known in a wild form. It is grown extensively 

 in China and Japan. The varieties differ widely 

 in maturity, requiring 70 to 166 days, thus per- 

 mitting different varieties to be grown through- 

 out the greater part of the United States, 

 from Massachusetts and Michigan to the Gulf 

 of Mexico. The northern limit of cultivation 

 of the soybean coincides nearly with that of 

 corn. 



Com/position. 



The following tables from Farmers' Bulletin No. 

 58, of the United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture (compiled from various sources), give the 

 composition and digestibility of the various kinds 

 of forage from the soybean plant : 



From these tables it will be seen that all parts 

 of the soybean plant are rich in nitrogen. The 

 hay is similar in composition to cowpea hay. Soy- 

 bean seeds are much richer in protein and fat 

 than the seeds of the cowpea. 



Culture. 



Soil. — The soybean is adapted to a wide rang:e of 

 soils, sandy to clay. In high latitudes a well-drained 

 sandy or sandy loam soil is preferred, as hastening 

 maturity. The crop is quite resistant to drought 

 and yet able to grow in a soil that is rather wet. 



Ordinarily, the fields should be plowed and 

 harrowed and level or surface planting practiced. 



Fertilizers. — In case fertilizer is used in quantity, 

 it is desirable for it to be mixed with the soil 

 without coming in immediate contact with the 

 seed. For drilled soybeans, fertilizer should be 

 applied in the drills. When fertilizers are needed, 

 it will usually be advisable to apply both phosphate 

 and potash, using, in the South, for example, 200 

 or 300 pounds of high-grade acid phosphate and 50 

 pounds of muriate or sulphate of potash per acre. 



Digestibility op Soybean Forage. 



Soybean forage 



Soybean fodder 



Soybean meal and timothy hay 



Soybean meal alone (calculated from the 



above mixture) 



Soybeans (seed) 



Soybean pods 



Soybean-straw 



Soybean hay 



Soybean silage 



Corn and soybean silage 



Barnyard millet and soybean silage 



Kind of animals 



Sheep . 

 Sheep . 



Sheep . . 



Euminants 



Ruminants 



Ruminants 



Ruminants 



f Goats . . 



I Steers . 

 Sheep . . 

 Sheep . . 





75.1 



77.7 



85.8 

 87.0 

 44.0 

 50.0 

 70.0 

 76.0 

 55.0 

 65.0 

 57.0 



54.0 

 73.6 



84.9 

 94.0 

 57.0 

 60.0 

 30.0 

 72.0 

 49.0 

 82.0 

 72.0 



si 



73.2 

 66.2 



73.4 

 62.0 

 73.0 

 66.0 

 67.0 

 52.0 

 61.0 

 75.0 

 59.0 





47.0 

 61.3 



51.0 

 38.0 

 56.0 

 55.0 

 43.0 

 65.0 

 69.0 



64.5 

 69.1 



78.0 

 85.0 

 63.0 

 55.0 



18.9 

 47.1 



21.3 



